James RhodesClackamas County Sheriff’s OfficePublic trust needs answers.
The union backed commissioner campaigns, urged the appointment of James Rhodes, and now supports his campaign. Why did the board bypass a broader public selection process? 1 · 2 · 9
CCPOA is the union representing Sheriff’s Office employees covered by the county’s labor agreement. In 2026, it contributed a reported $48,000—nearly $50,000—to the campaigns of Ben West, Paul Savas and Diana Helm. All three later voted to appoint the union’s recommended candidate, James Rhodes, as sheriff. 8
Ben West$30,000
Voted yes · CCPOA was Ben West’s largest campaign contributor as of OPB’s May 5, 2026 report. 10
Paul Savas$15,000
Voted yes
Diana Helm$3,000
Voted yes
Oswego Chronicle reports all three figures from state records; OPB independently reports Ben West’s amount. These are reported totals; transaction-level details are noted below. 2 · 10 · Search ORESTAR
THE APPOINTMENT · JULY 28, 2026
An acting sheriff was in place. The majority chose a different path.
Angela BrandenburgDeparting sheriff
Designated Jesse Ashby as acting sheriff.
Jesse AshbyActing sheriff
Provided interim leadership before the appointment of James Rhodes.
An acting sheriff was already in place. The board still chose an immediate appointment over the broader public selection process Craig Roberts requested. 1
Craig Roberts identified Brad O’Neil and Marcus Mendoza as interested leaders who could be considered. Five days after the retirement announcement, the board selected James Rhodes. 1
CCPOA sent its recommendation on the day of the vote. Ben West nominated James Rhodes, calling him the “one clear candidate.” Paul Savas emphasized the union’s support: “This says a lot to me. This is impactful.” 1 · 2
Ben West argued for swift leadership independent of previous sheriffs. Diana Helm favored immediate action after her own lengthy appointment process. Those were their stated reasons. The unanswered question is why an open comparison of available candidates was dispensable. 1
After the appointment, James Rhodes’ campaign listed endorsements from all four commissioners who voted yes: Paul Savas, Martha Schrader, Ben West and Diana Helm. 22
THE FOUR YES VOTES
Ben WestPaul SavasDiana HelmMartha Schrader
THE SOLE NO VOTE
Craig Roberts
CAMPAIGN SUPPORT & PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
Inside the union hall: campaigning for the agency’s leader.
James Rhodes’ campaign website lists a CCPOA endorsement and reports an 89.5% endorsement vote. 9
01 / Sign assembly
Campaign-sign assembly for James Rhodes inside the CCPOA Union Hall.
02 / Campaign materials
Campaign signs and wire frames assembled at the headquarters of the union representing agency employees.
03 / James Rhodes at the CCPOA Union Hall
James Rhodes holds a campaign sign inside the CCPOA Union Hall.
01 / ORGANIZED LABOR
CCPOA
Political contributions and appointment advocacy 2 Employee representation 8
Political support →
02 / COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Commissioners
Exercised appointment power 1 County financial and management functions 8
Appointment →
03 / AGENCY LEADERSHIP
Sheriff
Leads the Sheriff’s Office 12 Has statutory public-safety duties 4
THE ISSUE IS INDEPENDENCE
The union advocated for the appointment. Now it supports the election campaign.
How will management decisions withstand scrutiny when a political supporter is also the employees’ bargaining representative?
The photographs show campaign-sign assembly inside the CCPOA Union Hall, with James Rhodes participating. The union’s political role now reaches from commissioner campaigns to appointment advocacy to campaign activity for the sheriff. The campaign also lists endorsements from Ben West, Paul Savas, Diana Helm and Martha Schrader—the four commissioners who appointed James Rhodes. 229 · 15
The sheriff must make management decisions in the public interest, including decisions employees or their union may oppose. The county is the bargaining party under the cited agreement; the concern extends to the sheriff’s leadership whether or not James Rhodes personally sits at every negotiating session. 8
⚖
If the union wins a costly deal
How will the public distinguish sound judgment from political gratitude? Publish the fiscal analysis and the reasons for accepting the terms.
◉
If a dispute tests management
Will James Rhodes challenge the organization campaigning for him? Make responsibility for discipline, staffing and contract decisions visible.
▤
If confidence breaks down
Even a defensible decision can become mired in suspicion. The county should protect public trust with safeguards before the next controversy, not explanations afterward.
Would these commissioners have appointed James Rhodes if CCPOA had never contributed to their campaigns? Release the record that allows the public to assess their answer.
The appearance of divided loyalty is itself a leadership problem. Residents should not have to guess whose interests come first. The campaign-support arrangements should be disclosed.
THE DATED RECORD
Before the vote. At the vote. After the vote.
These dates identify events and publication dates. They do not establish what every commissioner personally knew.
The contribution was already public.
OPB reported CCPOA’s $30,000 contribution to Ben West as his largest single-source contribution that year at the time. 10
Ben West lost reelection.
Sonya Fischer won the seat before the sheriff appointment. 23
The county’s July 23 minutes discuss Angela Brandenburg’s retirement announcement. The sheriffs’ association lists July 27 as her retirement date. Jesse Ashby was designated acting sheriff. 34 · 12 · 1
Union recommendation, nomination and 4–1 decision.
Reporting places CCPOA’s advocacy letter and the board’s selection of James Rhodes on this date. Craig Roberts requested a broader candidate process. 1 · 2
Swearing-in, then the DPSST letter.
James Rhodes was sworn in August 3. The August 12 certification letter came after the vote; its date does not establish what certification information commissioners had beforehand. 12 · 3
Ben West’s other accountability issues emerged.
The cited ethics-investigation reporting and Junction City’s August 27 offer announcement postdate the appointment. They are later context, not evidence of a pre-vote job arrangement or motive. 25 · 26
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
James Rhodes’ DPSST certification: show the public the plan.
Oregon DPSSTOregon’s public-safety training and certification agency
Eligible to hold office. Not actively certified on the letter’s date.
DPSST found James Rhodes met eligibility requirements as of August 3, 2026. Its letter also stated that he lacked active police certification and must become basic police certified within one year of taking office. 3
This is a dated finding. No later certification record was obtained for this guide; the letter alone does not establish his status today.
ORS 206.015(3) requires certification within a year of taking office, with a copy filed with the county clerk. Using the August 3 start date, the anniversary is August 3, 2027. 4
Vacancy consequence
If certification is not obtained within that year, the statute requires the county governing body to declare the office vacant. 4
≈ 640 hours / 16 weeks
DPSST describes the Basic Police Academy as in-person academic and practical skills training. 13 · 33
Classroom learning: criminal and procedural law, civil rights, ethics, investigations, report writing and crisis intervention.
Physical work: fitness training, the Oregon Physical Abilities Test, and defensive tactics such as handcuffing, searches and responding to physical threats.
Assessment: written quizzes and exams, practical skills assessments, and feedback on video and live scenarios.
The published curriculum allocates 52 hours to defensive tactics, 52 to firearms and 44 to emergency vehicle operations; these are examples within the full course. 33
PRIOR HISTORY
Matt Swanson alleged intimidation. The county paid $235,000 to settle. What did commissioners examine?
Matt SwansonThe whistleblower whose civil allegations are summarized below.Jeff GreenFormer detective. The county-commissioned review documents his official-misconduct guilty pleas. 17
Matt Swanson’s complaint
Matt Swanson’s 2018 lawsuit alleged that James Rhodes asked him to meet behind a public works building while Matt Swanson was on patrol, then tried to bully and coerce him into changing an internal-affairs complaint concerning Jeff Green. 2
$235,000 settlement
Clackamas County reportedly paid $235,000 to settle Matt Swanson’s whistleblower claims in September 2018. The county thus paid to resolve a case alleging pressure against an employee reporting serious failures. That history makes the board’s evaluation of James Rhodes a substantial public-trust question. 2
Jeff Green investigation failures
The county-commissioned independent review records Jeff Green’s June 2017 guilty pleas to two misdemeanor counts of second-degree official misconduct. It describes evidence of little or no investigative work in more than 50 cases, many involving rape or child-abuse allegations, with some limitation periods expiring. 17
James Rhodes’ 2019 demotion
OPB reports that then-Sheriff Craig Roberts demoted James Rhodes from chief deputy to captain in 2019, a change reflected in DPSST employment records. Craig Roberts later became commission chair and cast the sole vote against the appointment. The cited report supplies no reason for the demotion. 1
BEN WEST · THE CASE FOR CLOSER SCRUTINY
Why was Ben West so determined to move immediately?
A major donor. A decisive nomination.
CCPOA gave Ben West’s campaign $30,000—its largest contribution from a single source at the time of OPB’s May 5 report. Ben West later nominated James Rhodes and presented the union’s advocacy letter. Ben West had already lost reelection when he pushed for this appointment. That combination creates a serious appearance of political bias. 23 Constituents deserve more than an assurance of impartiality: release the communications and explain how the preferred candidate was evaluated against the alternatives. 10 · 1
Ben West: election, ethics inquiry and employment
The election and endorsement backdrop
Sonya Fischer defeated Ben West in May. Angela Brandenburg had endorsed Sonya Fischer. Mark Shull’s candidate statement also lists Angela Brandenburg as an endorser, opposite Paul Savas’ statement in the county-hosted pamphlet. 23 · 10 · 24
Did political disagreements influence the appointment process? Officials should answer with records and reasons. The endorsements do not establish revenge, and the Mark Shull statement does not date Angela Brandenburg’s endorsement before the July vote.
Ben West’s credibility deserves scrutiny.
KXL reported in August that the Oregon Government Ethics Commission opened an investigation into Ben West’s role in his father’s temporary county employment. The reported investigation concerns that hiring matter; no final finding is cited here. 25
That investigation adds to the case for examining Ben West’s judgment. At the July appointment vote, he had already lost reelection and was finishing his term. He nevertheless drove the choice of James Rhodes, backed by the union that had given his campaign more than either of the other two reported commissioner recipients. The later Junction City offer adds a further question about attention and accountability during his remaining months; it does not establish that he had secured that job before the sheriff vote.
Two public roles demand a clear accounting.
Junction City confirmed an employment offer to Ben West on August 27, subject to an agreement for council adoption. OPB also reports his Navy Reserve role. The linked September OregonLive article concerns working two jobs through 2026, but its text could not be retrieved here. 26 · 27 · 28
Publish the final contract, start date, compensation and schedule. If the roles overlap, how will residents in both jurisdictions receive the work they pay for? The available records do not establish improper double payment or a third concurrent salary.
THE NEXT REQUEST FOR PUBLIC MONEY
Before asking voters to fund the next levy, explain how this appointment earned their confidence.
How does this appointment build confidence in the people asking residents to fund public safety?
In July, commissioners planned to return the public-safety levy to voters in May 2027 after its May 2026 defeat, according to OPB. 1
The board’s choices now become part of that funding argument: a shortened appointment process, extensive union political support, a certification requirement and a prior whistleblower settlement. None of those questions disappears because the agency needs funding.
Explain the leadership choice.
Why should voters trust the board’s judgment on additional funding when it bypassed the broader candidate process its own chair requested?
Account for the risks and costs.
Show how certification will be completed, how management independence will be protected and what the board learned from the Matt Swanson and Jeff Green history.
A public-safety funding request is also a request for trust. The commissioners and James Rhodes should earn that trust with answers, not expect the urgency of public safety to substitute for accountability.
THREE THINGS THE PUBLIC IS OWED
What evaluation was documented? What criteria were used? Who made the decisions?
01
The candidate-evaluation record
What evaluation was documented before the vote? Identify the criteria, candidates considered and any comparison of their qualifications. If no written comparison exists, say so. Explain why the broader public process Craig Roberts requested was bypassed. 1
Publish the current DPSST status, required training pathway, timeline, leadership coverage and complete county cost. Explain the comparison with other available candidates.
Name the officials who negotiate and approve contracts, handle discipline and document staffing decisions. Explain how those decisions will be kept independent of campaign support.
These officials created a foreseeable problem of divided loyalties and public confidence. They owe residents an explanation for that choice and demonstrable safeguards against its consequences.
SOURCE & DOCUMENT LIBRARY
Check the sources. Judge the argument.
Documents and reporting supporting the account above. Source notes identify the remaining gaps.
Reporting on the nomination, union letter, board discussion, dissent and personnel history. Underlying employment records were not separately retrieved.
Original county-hosted scan inspected directly. Confirms eligibility, inactive certification at that time and the certification deadline. It does not prescribe an individual training schedule.
Rule text checked directly: approximately 640 hours for the Basic Police Course, with field training addressed separately. Not a James Rhodes-specific determination.
Identifies Police Officers Lobbying in Common Effort, PAC #4395, and CCPOA as its top contributor. Describes the current disclosure, not historical cash transactions.
Articles 1 and 2 identify representation and management roles. Its stated term has ended; this guide does not assert that it is the current successor agreement.
Official search entry point, not a transaction citation. Search candidate committees and donor names, including the PAC’s full name. No cash amount is asserted for Martha Schrader.
Three photographs show campaign signs, sign assembly and James Rhodes inside the CCPOA Union Hall. The photographs do not establish payment or campaign-finance reporting arrangements.
The introduction documents Jeff Green’s guilty pleas and describes the investigation failures. This source strengthens the account of Jeff Green’s conduct; it does not by itself prove the civil allegations against James Rhodes.
The article was inaccessible to the research reader. Retained for follow-up; Jeff Green’s death is not asserted as independently verified in this page.
The campaign lists CCPOA and commissioners Ben West, Paul Savas, Diana Helm and Martha Schrader. Checked September 13, 2026. The 89.5% endorsement-vote figure appears on the campaign homepage, source 9.
PDF page 2 lists Angela Brandenburg as an endorser. Candidate-furnished statement; the county notes it has not verified its accuracy. It does not date the endorsement.
Lists then-current sheriff base pay of $19,053 monthly, with deferred compensation shown separately, and proposed adjustments. Annualized base is $228,636. It does not establish current individual pay or academy-related expenses.
May 30, 2023 county announcement scheduled interviews with seven applicants on June 7. Provides an example of a candidate-comparison process, not a legal requirement for other counties.
Published overview labeled 2022; describes the 640-hour program, course-hour allocations, academic learning, practical skills and assessments. Describes the general curriculum, not an individual training assignment.
Ben West$30,000
Paul Savas$15,000
Diana Helm$3,000
